Rhubarb Chia Jam

Well hello! I received several requests for this rhubarb jam recipe after you all saw it over and over again in my “life of a vegetarian” post. I made another batch as the sun went down yesterday so I could share the recipe with you this morning. I finally captured a bunny and a couple of squirrels outside my window in the process—proof that I really do live in Bunnyville.

Sometimes I judge recipes too quickly, as was the case with this rhubarb jam. It’s lovely, pink, sweet-and-sour goodness. You can spread it on toast or swirl it into yogurt or oatmeal.

I based this jam off of my strawberry chia jam recipe. Chia jams are really easy to make. They’re made of fruit, mostly, and naturally sweetened with honey, so they’re healthy, too. The chia seeds are rich in Omega-3s and help the mixture thicken into a nice, jammy consistency.

I’m going to keep this post short because it’s a beautiful day and I want to get out and enjoy it. I hope you’ll get a chance to try rhubarb chia jam before rhubarb season is over!

Combine chopped rhubarb and sweetener in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the rhubarb is mostly submerged in liquid. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the chia seeds. Continue cooking, while stirring frequently and reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching, for 25 to 30 minutes, until there are no big chunks of rhubarb left and the jam drips slowly off your spoon.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the lemon or orange juice. Let the mixture cool, then cover and refrigerate. The jam should keep for a week or two in the refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my strawberry chia jam, which was slightly adapted from The Oh She Glows Cookbook.Wait, what are chia seeds? Chia seeds come from southern Mexico. They're high in nutrients and Omega-3s like flax seeds, but they don't need to be ground up for our bodies to benefit from them. Chia seeds develop a crazy gel-like coating when they come into contact with water, which is how they act like pectin in jam recipes. Look for chia seeds in bulk bins or bags at your health food store.Warning: Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so don't feed the scraps to your dog.Make it vegan: Use maple syrup or agave nectar in place of the honey.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate!

I made your strawberry jam last week -so delicious! I ate it in your quick oatmeal + on ice cream (a frozen banana blended with vanilla and a spoonful of almond butter) until it was gone.

This morning, my very picky hubby asked me to make more. But alas-I was out of strawberries. I did happen to have a bag of rhubarb in the freezer though ;) How did you know??

Needless to say, it is on my stove right now. Quick question: why the difference in technique from the strawberry version? I found adding the chia in the beginning made this one thicker a bit too quickly and I add to add a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen it up a bit so the rhubarb could continue to soften.

Lauryn, I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner! So glad you and your husband are enjoying the chia jams. Apparently I can’t follow my own instructions, because I didn’t notice the difference in technique with the chia seeds. It’s interesting that your jam thickened up too quickly because I had to keep adding chia seeds to make this one the right texture. Hmmm… I think I need to get more rhubarb so I can experiment.

The idea is great, however cooking chia seeds kills all the benefits (the fatty acids are fragile when it comes to temperature). I’d try making it raw – perhaps cooking the rhubarb first, and mixing it with the rest of ingredients after it cools? (Honey loses its values because of heat, too!). It would probably take quite a long time for chia to soak – at least overnight – but the gel would be created, anyway :)

Marianna, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sure you’re right. As far as jams go, though, I’d say this one is still much healthier than the average jam made with tons of refined sugar. It would be interesting to see how the jam turns out with soaked chia.

This is such a beautifully sunny post. I love the natural light filtering through in your photos… wonderful to see that the season is changing over there for you and Cookie! Love this jam. Glad that you posted it despite initial doubts… rhubarb and honey is such a lovely combination xx

Raise your hand if you were eagerly awaiting this recipe…(my hand is totally raised!) This looks so summary and yummy, can’t wait to try it when they have rhubarb at the farmers market (here in WI it may be another month or so.)

I can’t seem to get enough rhubarb this time of year.. and here you are with a totally new way ( at least to me) to enjoy one of my favorite seasonal beauties! Chia Rhubarb jam… yum! Have a good week in Bunnyville:) xoxo E

Amber, I’m sorry, I don’t have any sure substitutions to offer. Flax seeds help bind foods but I have no idea what they would do in jam. Another option would be to roast rhubarb (with strawberries, if you’d like) like I did here—the juices condense in the oven and you’re left with a somewhat jammy consistency.

I love how easy chia jams are!! I feel like all the fruits of summer are going to get chia jammed this year, and it’s going to be glorious. But I’m betting the sweet tart of rhubarb will be my favorite.

Just made this jam and it’s pretty tasty! Apparently, I have a major sweet tooth, because I found the jam a bit too tart. I added 3 strawberries and another Tbsp maple syrup at the end of the cooking and was happy.

I did some research on whether cooking destroys the nutritional value of the chia seeds, and per my findings, it only decreases it slightly. The higher the heat, the higher the destruction, but the overall effect isn’t major, says James Sheer, author of The Magic of Chia. Just thought I’d share that as I found it interesting!

Hey Erin! I’m glad you made the jam work for you. The rhubarb seems to get sweeter as the cooking goes on, but I’m sure different stalks of rhubarb have different levels of sweetness. Thanks for sharing your research about chia seeds! I find it interesting, too. I’m glad the seeds’ nutrition isn’t totally destroyed in the process.

Hey Diana, I cannot advise canning this jam. Recipes really need to be designed for canning to be safe for long-term storage, and I’m no expert in that arena, so please don’t try to can this one. It does keep well for a couple of weeks in the fridge, though. I know that much!

I was going to ask the same thing about canning as I need recipes for wedding favors. I would think the rhubarb is acidic enough, plus the lemon juice, for canning, but I don’t know what the addition of the chia seeds does for the pH. I’ll do some more research and see if anyone has made canned chia jam yet. Thanks for the inspiration!

Bummer! I noticed that my rhubarb jam was less pink than another blogger’s rhubarb jam, so I’m guessing the color has to do with the rhubarb itself. If your rhubarb stalks had more green than pink, that would explain it.

I just love your blog and had been saving this recipe for a while… I found rhubarb at the farmers’ market this weekend and finally got to try it out. I swapped some of the rhubarb for strawberries and it turned out wonderful! Thanks!

I actually made this recipe x4, so four pounds of rhubarb. It made about 5 4 oz and 2 8 oz jars. I didn’t preservation can it, but since it’ll keep for a couple of weeks, I think it’s good. It turned out great, thicker than I imagined. Delicious mixed with coconut yogurt. Thank you.

OMG I just finished making it and I can’t wait to try it, adding the chia seeds was genious .I will probably make some overnight oats with it, and as a topping to nice cream.Thanks for the awesome recipe!